Dominic Harris Metamorphosis Solo-Morpho Helena In Detail Dominic Harris Metamorphosis Solo-Morpho Helena In Detail
9 September 2024

Dominic Harris

Metamorphosis Solo-Morpho Helena In Detail
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Renowned digital artist Dominic Harris returns to one of his most beloved motifs—the Morpho Helena butterfly—in his latest artwork, Metamorphosis Solo - Morpho Helena. Known for its vibrant blue wings and shimmering iridescence, the Morpho Helena is once again at the heart of Harris’s exploration of colour, movement, and transformation, themes that have defined much of his career. This work represents a continuation of his artistic journey, merging cutting-edge technology with natural beauty to create a captivating experience for viewers.
 
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A Study in Intricate Detail and Colour
Dominic Harris
Metamorphosis Solo - Morpho Helena, 2024
Code, electronics, computer, display, sensors, aluminium
75.7 x 75.7 x 10.4 cm

A Study in Intricate Detail and Colour

The Morpho Helena butterfly, native to the rainforests of Central and South America, is celebrated for its striking blue colour, a result of microscopic scales on its wings that reflect and refract light. In Metamorphosis Solo - Morpho Helena, Harris delves deep into the butterfly’s structural complexity, capturing its ethereal beauty in a work that transforms as it is viewed. Using his signature hand-painting technique on a digital tablet, Harris meticulously layers colours and textures to recreate the hypnotic iridescence of the butterfly's wings.

The piece invites viewers to experience the delicate balance between order and chaos that exists in nature. The butterfly’s iridescent scales, rendered with painstaking detail, shimmer and shift as if alive, evoking a sense of movement and transformation. This dynamic interplay is central to Harris’s artistic approach, encouraging viewers to engage emotionally with the artwork, reflecting on their own perceptions of beauty and change.

Merging Art, Nature, and Technology
Dominic Harris
Spectrum, 2024
Touch display, code, electronics, sensors, steel, aluminium
126 x 126 x 13 cm
Edition of 8 + 2 Artist’s Proofs + 2 Museum Proofs

Merging Art, Nature, and Technology

Dominic Harris has long been fascinated by the intersection of nature and technology, a theme that has shaped much of his oeuvre. The Morpho Helena butterfly has been a recurring symbol in his work since his 2011 breakthrough piece Flutter, which marked the beginning of his exploration into the digital representation of natural phenomena. Over the years, Harris has continued to develop and refine this approach, using digital tools to create interactive and immersive experiences that bridge the gap between the organic and the technological. The dynamic, participatory experience is a hallmark of Harris’s work, underscoring his belief in the power of art to evoke emotional responses and inspire introspection.

In Metamorphosis Solo - Morpho Helena, Harris pushes the boundaries of scale and detail, offering an unprecedented level of intimacy with the butterfly’s intricate form. This piece builds on his previous explorations in works like Spectrum (2024) and Metamorphosis: The Solos (2020), where butterflies served as symbols of perpetual motion and transformation. The butterfly, a universal symbol of change, serves as a metaphor for the transient and ever-shifting nature of life itself. Here, the Morpho Helena takes centre stage once again, but on a larger scale, allowing viewers to experience its beauty in new, deeper ways.

Blue Visions of an Iridescent Soul

Blue Visions of an Iridescent Soul

Harris has developed a large, scale, fully immersive and interactive deep dive into Metamorphosis Solo - Morpho Helena, for current exhibition Songs of the Open Road. The site-specific artwork, Blue Visions of an Iridescent Soul, reveals the rippling blue scales of a butterfly’s wing which are only visible at a microscopic level. This dynamic installation explores the unseen wonders of our environment on an immersive scale. The visuals within the space shift with the viewer’s perspective, paralleling the phenomenon of iridescence in nature.

 

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